There has been a big push over the past decade to improve our measurement of impact – there is now an alphabet soup of tools available for entrepreneurs and investors looking to understand and communicate the effects we are having on people and planet. But as long as the definition of ‘impact’ remains a fluid concept, we all explain it in different ways and struggle to stay accountable to our stakeholders. If this remains unresolved, we all end up with conflicting data requests and measurement systems, preventing SGBs from being able to collect the data actually needed to drive decision-making. The Impact Management Project has begun consensus on those fundamentals.

Reach out to team@impactmanagementproject.com to discuss how your proposal can involve testing impact management templates and training materials that are currently in development with partners around the globe.

B Lab East Africa

B Lab has development a measurement tool called the B Impact Assessment. This assessment is designed to support business to measure holistically the impact they create to different stakeholders (workers, community, governance, environment, customers). The assessment, which is free, is hosted on an online platform that is easy to use and it is dynamic - it is tailor-made to the company's size, sector and region of operations. It also include resources that enable companies to benchmark their performance, create a customized improvement report and engage with different stakeholders in the company. The assessment has been used by over 55,000 companies and we are seeing a growing community of users in Africa.

B Lab EA is open to collaboration with different players in the network. We are also keen to use this opportunity to develop relevant case studies in the market to show how business is a force for good.

Reach out to Olivia Muiru - Olivia@b-labeastafrica.net

Business Call to Action

Launched at the United Nations in 2008, Business Call to Action (BCtA) has been offering impact measurement services since 2015 to 21 inclusive businesses in agriculture, education, energy, health, and housing sectors to collect impact and operational performance data using mobile technology, aiming at helping businesses to better plan for social and environmental impact towards the SDGs while driving business performance. Our published case studies can be found here.

By the end of 2017, BCtA is going to launch an online ‘Impact Measurement Lab’ to further scale up our work to support a greater number of companies (both BCtA members & non-members) for better measuring and managing their impact. The online toolkit consists of four self-guided modules throughout the impact measurement process: 1) assessing impact measurement readiness (to identify the right tools and methodologies for measuring impact); 2) designing an impact framework; 3) monitoring impact (through collecting data from your business stakeholders); and 4) analysing data and reporting. Hands-on support provided by BCtA will be customized to companies based on the business needs.

Additionally, UNDP has developed a Climate Action Impact Tool to help a broad range of stakeholders in managing the design, development, implementation, financing, measurement, reporting and verification of the various type of climate actions. This will enable the stakeholders to identify significant impacts, define indicators, quantify impacts and set targets and track the progress of the actions towards the 'Nationally Determined Contributions' (NDCs) in the context of the Paris Agreement. The tool is a bottom-up tool that can be applied to track 'significant, direct impacts' of actions. For consistency with internationally acceptable definitions, the terminologies used in this tool were aligned with the definitions of the Initiative for Climate Action and Transparency (ICAT). The tool can be accessed here: https://climateimpact.undp.org

For organizations who are interested in either tool we mentioned above, you are more than welcome to contact us. We will get back to you as soon as possible to have a conversation regarding the details. Reach out to yunzhong.cheng@undp.org and tomohiro.nagasaki@undp.org

Dalberg Research is a leader in primary data collection, with the capability to conduct large sample size studies very efficiently across the African continent.

Reach out to CJ Fonzi cj.fonzi@dalberg.com

Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED)

The DCED Results Measurement Standard is a 7-part framework for developing and managing results measurement, globally used by 120+ programmes working to create more and better economic opportunities for the poor. It provides organisations with an easy to understand check-list for a good measurement system and practice. To complement the Standard, the DCED has developed and/or collated a number of guidelines, case studies, manual and tools to support people in the field.

The DCED Secretariat can provide some guidance to organisations wanting to use the Standard, including sharing its benefits, what might work for your organisation and how to get started. If more substantial support is needed, we have a list of experienced and junior consultants who can support programmes to implement the Standard. Lastly, in February 2018 there will be a 2 day seminar in Nairobi where individuals and organisations using the DCED Standard for Results Measurement get together to share experiences, lessons, problem-solve and network.

Genesis Analytics provides a full suite of impact measurement services and has developed a thorough understanding of the spectrum of methods, approaches and resources available in this space, most of which we have practically tested in assignments conducted on behalf of our clients. We have also designed impact measurement frameworks for impact investors and others that work with SGBs, and have conducted evaluations of various funds and enterprise development programmes. Beyond the assignments we do, we aim to unlock value in Africa by leveraging our knowledge, experience and network to contribute to sectoral initiatives that help actors to better prove and improve their impact. We are very excited by the Catalyst Fund and hope to have the opportunity to engage further with like-minded organisations.

Reach out to Mishkah Jakoet at mishkahj@genesis-analytics.com

Intellecap Advisory Services Limited

To address the challenges associated with effective impact measurement, Intellecap went beyond the traditional model of performance rating and thought about impact measurement in a bold and exciting new way.

With support from IFC, GIZ, Shell Foundation and other pioneer funds, Intellecap created PRISM (Portfolio Risk, Impact, And Sustainability Measurement) – a new impact measurement framework that captures several dimensions of impact primarily for the use of program managers / fund managers to monitor the performance of their enterprises.

PRISM is a feature rich analytics platform capable of showcasing critical analysis related to trends in investments and impact. PRISM captures data on financial, environmental, social and governance parameters and provides a holistic analysis on the data for the fund / program managers and investors.

Programs’ impact performance score is a function of the overall programs’ performance and performance of each portfolio company. However, for a more comprehensive result, the score must also be adjusted to take into account the context in which the impact is achieved. The approach should involve an examination of what goes into performance as much as measuring what comes out of it.

PRISM can be used by both funders and enterprises to capture, aggregate and report impact made. Whilst compliance with international standards, Prism aims to contextualize impact for the region. PRISM is currently live at www.prismforimpact.com.

Reach out to Sheena Raikundalia sheena.r@intellecap.com

LINCLINC has pioneered the use of Social Network Analysis (SNA) as a tool to measure the level and type of interaction among organizations in a given ecosystem. We believe there are significant opportunities to use SNA as a monitoring and evaluation tool in the SGB sector, in particular looking at to what extent an ecosystem intervention shifts that actual structure of productive relationships among key stakeholders.

We are particularly interested in applying SNA in a rapid, iterative way in cases in which it is relatively easy to collect data on interactions among organizations (e.g. co-investments).

Reach out to Matt Guttentag mguttentag@linclocal.org

PPI at Innovations for Poverty Action

The Poverty Probability Index (PPI) - povertyindex.org - is a simple, cost-effective tool for estimating the poverty level of client households in 60 different countries. Impact Investors can make use of this tool in their due diligence and monitoring. SGB management can make use of the data for product development, targeting, and social performance management. The PPI team can support data collection, analysis, and interpretation of results.

The PPI team is considering creating several variations of the original national PPI scorecard: rural and/or urban versions, a 5 question version, and also scorecards that measure other deprivations such as health/nutrition, child stunting, empowerment, etc. We'd be happy to partner to test the use of the existing scorecards in your programs, or these new ideas, or other research/analysis related to poverty levels of the clients.

Social Value International works with its members including national networks to deliver training and resources around social value measurement and management. We have delivered SROI training for ten years and provide a range of other social value training courses. We also have co-produced guidance on impact measurement for different sectors.

We are a membership organization with members all over the world and we have developed a National Network in South Africa. We would be very keen to support ANDE members to connect with other SVI members and support them to develop more Social Value networks across Africa if this is helpful.

Solidaridad Network has developed an innovative approach to proof of concept for gender inclusivity in internal organization systems and procedures as well as development programs. To structure gender inclusivity proof of concept, gender business case tier approach has been applied in which the hypothesis is in three streams/tiers:

Tier 1: Quantity of Impact - The use of untapped potential has the opportunity to increase impact due to broad outreach;
Tier 2: Quality of Impact - A diverse team/group, provides an opportunity for better results and outcomes;
Tier 3: Sustainability of Impact - Inclusivity is a means for more to become involved in the long-run.

Smart partnerships are precondition towards the achievement of gender equality and ultimately inclusivity. These partnerships are a means of consolidating development work on a complementing basis rather than in a competing way.

Vera Solutions is a mission-driven global technology consulting company that partners with high-impact non-profits, social enterprises, and foundations to transform the way they work. Combining years of social sector experience and technical expertise, our consultants deliver practical technology solutions designed to help you more efficiently and effectively collect, manage, and understand your data. We work hard to identify the root of your data challenges and partner with technology giants like Salesforce to implement secure, cloud-based solutions. Vera works with organizations across the health, education, agriculture, livelihoods, and environment sectors - supporting them in program management, monitoring and evaluation, grant management, and stakeholder engagement. To learn more about Vera Solutions, visit www.verasolutions.org

Vera has recently launched Amp Impact, a flexible indicator management and performance tracking app on Salesforce. Built on the world’s #1 CRM, Salesforce, Amp Impact enables organizations to streamline indicator management across geographies and projects, visualize and report performance to stakeholders, and seamlessly integrate with other impact assessment tools. To learn more about Amp Impact or request a demo, visit www.ampimpact.org

Reach out to Taylor Robinson, Vera’s Communications and Partnerships Manager, at trobinson@verasolutions.org.

The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

WDI’s Performance Measurement Initiative 1) designs and implements customized assessment solutions to understand the economic, social, and environmental performance and outcomes of organizations and 2) utilizes data and lessons learned to improve organizations’ effectiveness, scalability, and sustainability; and create more value for all key stakeholders.

We specialize on the analysis of multi-dimensional poverty reduction outcomes on low-income stakeholders. Examples of these outcomes include physical and psychological health, knowledge, self-esteem, aspirations, empowerment, and social networks. We also analyze financial outcomes such as income, savings, and risk. Outcomes are measured using rigorous research designs and robust quantitative and qualitative context-specific surveys, all developed by WDI.

We also lead research efforts to identify and test measurement solutions that depart from traditional approaches, which can often be overly rigid and slow to deliver results. The goal of this research is to find new and practical ways to assess hard-to-measure results within the complex systems in which development occurs. Through this work, we have collaborated with leading organizations and with experts at the University of Michigan.

For more information on our past work check out our website: http://wdi.umich.edu/initiatives/performance-measurement/